Engine-starter



V. BENDIX.

ENGINE STARTER. v

APPLICATION ,FILED 02c Is 1915.

WWW I Patented July ma mm.

ltpeeinea .ltpplieatleit .ll'o all ti'filtdht it stay concern this it hnown that l, Vincent liter-tern, a citinen oil the United Eltates, residing llhicago, lloolr county, llllinois, have'invented certain new and usetul llmprove ments in lllngine-Eltarters, oi? which the tollowing is a specilicatihn.

My invention relates to engine starters and pertains more particularly to the pro duction oil a novel and ellicient construction oil the drive or transmission theretor. ll ly drive belongs to that type characterised hy the employment oi. a rotatable shait such as l. ti

a screw shaft and a driving inemheror pinion mounted thereon tor automatic engagement with and disengagement from a mend her, such as the tly wheel, of the engine to be started. ll ly invention consists in a novel construction and arrangement of the screw shalt and a driving gear which by preter once is of the internal gear type, 'lhe vari ous advantages and utility of construction and mode oi? operation will be apparent trorn the description hereinafter given.

lln the drawing, Figure l is a section ot an engine starter emhodyihg my invention, and .h'ig. Q) a section on the line 2-2 at his". it. i

lteterring to the particular embodiment herein shown, the starting motor indicated at it and the drive or transmission are suitably supported hythe casings lil and U,

signed in the present instance, a part at the engine trams or case itselltn 'lhe armature shatt a at the moto'rhas secured thereto a driving pinion 1. :which meshes with the teeth 2 ct an internal gear 2. This gear has an extended huh 3 which is supported liy and adapted to rotate in hearing shell l mounted in the casing 'ld, sets hill these teeth meet end to end.

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either end thereot, the outer projecting ends being screw threaded and the remainder ct its length losing plain encept for said splines. At its inner end the shaft has a projection or enlar "ed head 8 secured thereto in suitable manner as by being screw threaded thereto. llnterposed between this head and the inner tace of the hub or gear are com centric springs 9; 10, preferably two in multiher as shown, which tend to yieldingly hold the screw shaft in its normal position to ward the right but which permit slight endwise movement to the left when occasion requires, as hereinafter explained.

'lhe driving member is a 11110111]; which is screw threaded upon the screw threads'ot the shalt and is adapted to automatically move longitudinally into mesh with the lily wheel teeth 12. By preference a thrust ball hearing 13 is provided against which the pinion hears at the end of its inward move ment when in mesh with the tly wheel.

Describing the operation of the starter and beginning with the parts in the normal position shown, the starting of operation oi the motor rotatesthe pinion, land .conseqnentlyythe gear Qand the screw shaft its a result olf this rotation of the shaft the pinion ll automatically advanced to the right into mesh with the fly wheel, When the pinion reaches the limit oil this longitu: dinal movement and is stopped loy the thrust hearing it will partake of the rotation of the screw shaft and will consequently rotate theily wheel. W hen the engine has started on its own power the pinion will he automatically demeshedand returned to the nor mal position shown.

The foregoing description assumes that the pinion teeth and fly wheel teeth have registered for proper mesh in said meshing operation but itv sometimes happens that lln order to cilshion thisimpingement and prevent jamming, the screw shaft is permitted the described longitudinal movement to the left when the pinion is mo'm ntarily stopped by its abutment against the fly wheel teeth. this movement oi? the shaft is a yielding one, the same being resisted hy the springs 9 and 10. I

moved angularly into proper register and 'llhe pinion will now be slightly mesh with the fly wheel, whereupon the springs will'restore the shaft to the normal position shown.

The described construction is a very solid and-compact one'for installations where reduction gearing is required and the employment of the internal gearcontributes.:materially to compactness and moreover provides for the transmission of high degrees oftorque. internal gear also provides for compactness Moreover, the employment of an by providing the space necessary forthesprings which, as shown, are within the confines of this geanand by enabling the bringin of the centers of the two shafts a and 7 very close together, for installations in close quarters. Again,' such internal gear,

gives quiet meshing and permits of the employment ofa pinion with a rathervnarrow tooth face resulting in still more compactness. Furthermore, all of the'partsof the "drive are so combined that they constitute a unit, insertible in and withdrawable from the'be'aring suppor't'l) after the motor and casin Care removed.

'1. In an engine starter, a drive or transmission comprising an internal gear, a rotatable shaft oper'ativel'y connected therewith and in the rotarial axis thereof, a driving member mounted on one end thereof for longitudinal movement thereon to engage an'engine member and for rotary movement therewith after such engagement, and "a driving pinion meshing with the internal gear.

2. n an engine starter, a drive or transmission comprising an internalgear, a rotatableshaft "operatively connected there with and in th'e'rotarial axis thereof, for rotary movement therewith and for longitndinal movement thereof, a driving member mounted on one end thereof for longitudinal movement thereon to engage,an engine member and for rotary movement therewith a fter "such engagement, and a driving pinion meshing with the internal gear.

3. In an engine starter, a drive or transmission comprising an internal gear, a rotatable shaft ope'ratively connected therewith for rotary movement therewith and for lolwitudinal movement thereof, yielding ni'ea hs're'sis'ting 'such longitudinal movemerit, a driving member mounted on one end thereof for longitudinal movement thereon to -engage an engine member and for rotary movement therewith after such engagement, and a driving pinion meshing wi h the internal gear.

f1. In an engine starter, a drive or trans mission comprising an internal gear, a rotatable shaft having screw threads at one end and operatively connected therewith, said shaft being in the rotarial axis of such gear, a pinion mounted on said screw threads for longitudinal 'movement thereon to engage an engine member and for rotary movement therewith after such engagement, and adrivin'g pinion meshing with the internal gear.

5. In an engine starter, a drive or transmission comprising'an internal gear, a rotatable shaft having-screw threads at one *end and operatively connected therewith, said shaft being 111 the rotarial axis of sin-h gear, a pinion mounted on said screw threads for longitudinalmovement. thereon to engage an engine member and for rotary movement therewith after such engagement, and a bearing in which such internal .of, and a driving member mounted on the other end of the shaft for longitudinal movement thereof and rotary movement therewith.

7. In an engine starter, drive comprising an internal gear, a rotatable shaft connected therewith for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereof, a spring at -one end of said shaft to resist said longitudinal movement thereof, said shaft having screw threads at its other end portion, and a pinion screw-tln'eaded on said screw-threads and adapted to move longitudinally thereof and rotarily therewith.

8, In an engine starter, a drive comprising an internal gear, a rotatable shaft driven thereby and connected therewith for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereof, a spring located within the confines of said gear and eonnected with one end of the shaft projecting through the gear, and a driving member mounted on the other end of the shaft for longitudinal movement thereof and rotary movement therewith.

9. In an engine starter, a drive co1npris ing a gear having an extended hub, a retatable shaft extending through and supported by such hub and connected therewith for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereof, a spring at one end of the shaftto resist such longitudinal movement, and a driving member mounted on the other, endbf the shaft for longitudinal movement thereofan'd rotary movement therewith.

10. In an engine starter, a drive comprising a gear having an extended hub. a retatable shaft extending through and snpported by such hub and connected therewith for rotary movement therewith and t eeter e longitudinal movement thereof, it rojection at one end of such shaft, a sprlng interposed. between the projection and the gear to resist said longitudinal movement, and at driving member mounted on the other end of the shaft for longitudinal movement thereof and rotary movement therewith.

11. In an engine starter, e drive comprising a gear having en extended hub, a, rotatable shaft extending through the hub and splined thereto for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereof, a spring cooperating With the shaft at one end to resist said longitudinal move ment, and a driving member mounted on the other end of the shaft for longitudinal movement thereof and rotary movement therewith.

VlNCENl BlEhllDlX. 

